davidson



M. O. DAVIDSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MODE OF CONNECTING AND SUPPORTING RAILROAD-RAILS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 23,758, dated April 26, 1859*.

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, M. O. DAVIDSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful lmproveinents in the Wodes of Connecting andSupporting Railroad-Rails, of which the following is a specication.

It is the object of my improvement to provide a continuons support forthe ends of the rails, and for their being securely held in position,and for the expansion and contraction of the rails. This is effected byusing what I call a bridge rail splice which having its support oncross-ties or other bearing, and being of suitable dimensions, affords acontinuous and adequate support for the ends of the rails. The mode ofeffecting this, is by having the lower web of the rail, cut away at theends for about' sixteen inches, leaving the section of the rail at theends, of the form represented in Figures l and 2, the part of the railcut away being shown by shading lines.

The bridge rail splice is of the form represented in Fig. 4t.

rlhe rail rests either by its head on the top of the bridge rail splice,as represented in Fig. 6; or by its stem on the web of the bridge railsplice.

Figs. 3 and 5 represent the junction of the ends of the two rails by thebridge rail splice.

A, A, are the rails.

B, is the bridge rail splice shown in section in Fig. 4.

e, e, e, e, are rivets by which the parts are Iirmly secured together. Y

The holes c, 0, in the stem of the rail, are to be of oblong formhorizontally, to allow for the expansion and contraction of the rail.

The bridge rail splice may have its bearing cross-ties at the ends asrepresented in Fig. 5, or it may have an additional bearing in themiddle of its length, or it may have a continuous bearing.

That I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The use of a rail having its lower web cut away for about 15 inches atthe ends, in combination with the use of a bridge rail splice of a formsuitable to receive and supn port securely the stem of the rail afterits lower web has been out away, and of a length of about inches, or ofthe distance from center to center of cross-ties at the ends of therails, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

M. O. DAVIDSON.

Titnesses H. T. CLEVELAND, J. R. TRIMBLE.

